LGBTQ groups host play "Must Come Down" for Pride Week

With recent controversy surrounding Boy Scouts accepting gay
members and conservative churches demanding a boycott on Starbucks due to their
pro-gay marriage stance, it might seem like a heated time for a play about
sexually-confused high school students. However, that hasn't stopped LGBTQ
groups Equality Alabama and Parents, Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays
(PFLAG) from sponsoring a one-night return of Theatre Downtown's off-beat
comedy "Must Come Down" this Wednesday night for their annual Pride Week fundraiser.

"Must Come Down" by local playwright Billy Ray Brewton first
debuted last March. It tells the story of a nerdy high school student who
questions his sexual identity when he falls for the captain of the football
team. Brewton said the show was an unusual dramatic shift for Theatre Downtown
regulars accustomed to the company's signature over-the-top comedies, but it's
perfect for the Pride Week fundraiser.

"This is really the target audience for the show," Brewton
said. "It deals a lot with acceptance and being comfortable with who you are. I
think they would probably get a lot out of it."

Proceeds will be divided between Equality Alabama, an LGBTQ
rights group, and PFLAG, which provides education and support to LGBTQ
individuals and their families.

PFLAG board member Sandi Taylor became familiar with the
show when her son Dallas, himself gay, was cast in the lead role. She says Brewton's
play isn't about charged political statements, but common-life issues like
bullying and fitting in.

the "Must Come Down" team together again for Pride Week

"You actually get a good look not only at the characters in
the high school but also their family dynamics," Taylor said. "It's really just
about acceptance. It's not a gay story; it's a story that happens to have gay
people in it."

Brewton said he never had a defined coming-out experience
and wrote the show as a kind of rite of passage for his own homosexuality. He
didn't intend the show to be political, or even particularly moral. "I didn't
want to beat anybody over the head with it," he said. "At the end of it all I
just wanted it to be an entertaining play. Some people are going to take away
messages, some people won't. If they do, hopefully they'll go away a little
more open minded."

Still, Dallas Taylor, who plays "Must Come Down's"
protagonist, said the play can't help but be both a sign of progress and
bringer of controversy. "I just think it's really important, especially in Alabama
and the Birmingham, to show the state and the community that we are evolving
and things are changing."

"Must Come Down" goes up this Wednesday at the Jemison Day
Theater at the Alabama School of Fine Arts. Doors at 6:30, show at 7:00. $25
dollar general admission at the door. Visit the PFLAG events page for
info and tickets.